1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to broadhead hunting arrows and more particularly to a modular broadhead having a unitary blade unit, a blade carrying body and a locking collar for securing the unitary blade unit to the blade carrying body. The blade carrying body may be either a ferrule or an arrow shaft.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
There are many broadheads disclosed in the prior art. These are often made of multiple pieces fitting together to form the broadhead unit which is then attached to the shaft of an arrow. The resulting broadhead can be disassembled into the component parts, including usually the individual blades, a tip, a ferrule of some sort and other connecting parts. Examples of these multi-piece broadheads are found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,758 issued to Richter; U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,969 issued to Nagatori; U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,435 issued to Musacchia; U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,330 issued to Kosbab; U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,749 issued to Simo; U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,468 issued to Tinsley, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,520 issued to Fingerson, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,941 issued to Saunders; U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,297 issued to Maleski; U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,499 issued to Sherwin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,043 issued to Ester; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,751 issued to Cooper.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,940,758, issued to Richter, discloses a broadhead having a central body with grooves to removably receive multiple blades. In use, a pointed tip screws onto the central body and captures the front tip of each of the blades to hold them in place. A ferrule screws onto the rear of the central body and captures the rear tip of each of the blades to hold them in place. This broadhead blade unit can be disassembled into its component parts.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,969 issued to Nagatori, which discloses a broadhead with a replaceable secondary arrow blade received within a slot of the primary arrow blade which is all received within a slotted ferrule. This broadhead can similarly be disassembled into its component parts.
The prior art broadheads are relatively complex, usually with many pieces including quite often individual blades that must be joined together like a jigsaw puzzle.
This invention is a modular broadhead comprising a blade carrying body, a unitary blade unit with multiple blades each with razor edges extending radially from the front of the unitary blade unit rearwardly to a base, and a locking collar for securing the unitary blade unit to the blade carrying body, the base of each blade extending inwardly toward the central axis of the unitary blade unit and forming a tab capable of being slidably received in a rear slot on the blade carrying body, the blade carrying body having multiple rear slots to receive each tab, the blade carrying body having multiple front slots for slidably receiving each of the blades toward the front of the unitary blade unit, the blade carrying body having outer threads forward of the rear slots, and the locking collar having inner threads capable of mating with the outer threads on the blade carrying body. Preferably, each tab has a nipple at the end extending toward the front of the unitary blade unit, wherein the locking collar has an annular ring capable of receiving each nipple on each tab. Preferably, each of said multiple rear slots has a rear shoulder stop to prevent the unitary blade unit from sliding rearwardly of the stop.
When the unitary blade unit has at least three blades, the blade carrying body may optionally be modified so as not to have the front slots therein. The front of the blade carrying body is capable of being received within an indent created by the blades at the central axis toward the front of the unitary blade unit.